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Jun 20, 2019 20:56:41 GMT
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I know there's been a number of different threads on what your first car was, but if you had the chance to do it all again with the same car, what would you do with it today to personalise / modify it? Back in 1993-1995, I had a patched-together Mini 1000 known as "Huey". I bought him from a mate who was selling it on behalf of his work supervisor. He worked at a tyre & exhaust place, and when the owner discovered the standard system's back box was blowing, they didn't have one in stock. Instead he looked around the stores for something that would fit, and found that an early 80s Subaru front pipe, when reversed, was perfect. This gave a twin upswept exhaust with bigger tailpipes about 10 inches apart. It sounded lovely and had no detrimental effect on the performance either - it remained slow!! Being a Mini, I changed the seats (1275GT items) and put a Cooper speedo in along with S brakes, 4 different sets of wheels, and new shocks. Sadly, Huey was pretty rusty and by 1995 the MOT man utterly crucified him. Given I'd only paid £250 for him in 1993, I was able to move him on for a small 10% profit to a fellow Mini Club member with the full knowledge that he'd be broken up for parts. I never wanted that car back, given the state of it (sills, floors, lower body, doors, A panels, subframe mounting panel and boot floor were all virtually hanging on by the occasional bit of metal), but having seen an old picture I wondered what I would do with that car now? Let's keep the rules simple: You cannot sell the car for profit, and your budget would be as if you've had a Euromillions win. Money is no object. Would you keep it, and what would you do with it? Aside from the obvious total body restoration, I think I would keep the colour the same (the original Leyland Tahiti Blue - minus the 4-inch stripe of underseal from the sills to a bit up the body), a fully reconditioned 1977 Newton Commercial Interior in Navy Blue, but with suitably comfortable front seats instead. There would be a half decent stereo system - I don't want it to be stupid loud, just decent quality - and all chrome work would be replaced with stainless. I'd like a heated windscreen, and all seals to be of the highest quality as that old thing leaked like a sieve! Finally, the engine would be a high-torque 1275cc based engine, along with an ECU and mappable fuel injection. I would keep the 10 inch Cooper Reverse Rim steels, powder coated gloss black with their tiny chrome/stainless hubcaps and the Cooper S brakes, this time with 4-pot calipers. And finally, I would have an exhaust specialist make me a back box in a similar style to Huey's original silly exhaust, purely for nostalgia's sake. Then I would drive it as much as possible. Here's an picture of dear old Huey, taken in about August 1994   |
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Jun 20, 2019 20:59:24 GMT
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Mine was a mk2 Escort 1600 Sport, bought with 33K on the clock. I should've garaged it.
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Samage
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,467
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Jun 20, 2019 21:04:27 GMT
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Still got my first car, a 1971 Beetle. As for what to do with it... getting it roadworthy would probably be a good start.  |
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Last Edit: Jun 20, 2019 21:04:57 GMT by Samage
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Jun 20, 2019 21:05:54 GMT
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White Mini clubman estate. Id do the same mods all over again, but at the time I didnt have ebay, so it would probably be the same but better. When I took it off the road some little scrotes vandalised it, so I scrapped it, they were worth next to nothing at the time, I would have done that very differently now.
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Jun 20, 2019 21:22:33 GMT
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Mine was a 1973 Fiat 126 (594cc) with 17,000 miles, a hand-me down in 1988 from my grandparents who bought it new, having traded in their Ford Anglia. I endured it for about 6 months as a college run-about, before being given my 1970 Minor Traveller - a far better car in most respects, which I still own.
I returned the Fiat 126 to my gran, but she insisted I take it back a few years later, as she never used it. I kept it for a while, mostly in a garage as I also rarely used it, but it was succumbing to the rust bug in awkward to repair areas around the front and rear window seals, so I decided to sell it on E-bay, for a fair enough price at the time. My gran was understandably a bit upset about it, which I regret (she passed away in 2009), but it went to a good home and is still used somewhere around the midlands (various photos of it on rallies, etc.)
To be honest, it was a pretty awful thing to drive, and a bit embarrassing as a young lad in the late 1980s, when cooler/luckier guys at college had XR3s, Montego Turbos, etc. If I'd kept it, I'd want to improve all the issues relating to lack of oomph (23 bhp), lack of brakes (drums all round), poor handling in crosswinds (rather sloppy steering box on early 126s), rust, lousy demisting in winter, etc.
I later had a 1997 Fiat Cinquecento SX that was all the things the Fiat 126 should have been, and more economical into the bargain, in fact, the most economical car I've ever owned, regularly returning 70 mpg!
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Jun 20, 2019 21:48:07 GMT
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I’ve still got it!
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 Specialist Bodyshop & Fabrication Classic, Retro, Prestige & Custom Small Repairs to Concours Restorations Mechanical Work Vintage to Modern |
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jpr1977
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 656
Club RR Member Number: 18
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Jun 20, 2019 22:10:27 GMT
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Not take the rev limiter off...
RIP little lemon yellow 1.1 mk1 golf
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Last Edit: Jun 20, 2019 22:23:11 GMT by jpr1977
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Jun 20, 2019 23:18:12 GMT
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I cant say that my first car, well Mk2 Escort Van was the one i really wanted, but was there at the time. Therefore not having a true love for that i cannot say ive ever thought about what i would do with it, but there is so much that has been done with Mk2 Escorts that i cant say i could do something radically different.
Cars 2/4/5/6/7/8/10/11 i mostly did enjoy owning and would think about resto-modding. All follow a similar theme being Ford FWD so what works for the Mk1 Fiesta, will work for the Escort 3/Orion 1, then onto the Escort 5/Orion 3 and even into my current Mk2 Mondeos.
Obviously each one would have adaptations to fit bits to each vehicle, but the bodies would be restored to better than factory and interiors as good as can be but still standard. Engines would be Ecoboost with brakes, suspension and wheels to match the power, but in a way to create a bit of a sleeper! Would also try to include ABS and things like Cruise Control to see it it could be done.
And as the op has said money no object,
Mk 1 Fiesta with 1.0 Ecoboost
Mk 1 Orion with 1.5 Ecoboost
Mk 3 Orion with 1.6 Ecoboost
Mk 2 Mondeo with 2.0 Ecoboost
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Jun 20, 2019 23:27:55 GMT
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First car (truck) was a Dodge Warlock, I would drive it into the ground again!
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Jun 20, 2019 23:34:05 GMT
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Before I even had my license I had a BMW 1802 with a 2 liter motor from an early 320.
I sold it and bought a Peugeot 104. That was the car I was legally to drive.
I would like the BMW all restored. The Peugeot, I am not sure about. I had lots and lots of
fun with it but doing it all again...yes, probably. But I rather keep it as a great memory.
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Jun 20, 2019 23:45:21 GMT
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My first car was an 1970 Austin Mini 850 Mk2 purchased from a dealer not long after I got my licence in 1983. I thrashed the absolute ar5e off it everywhere and eventually traded it in for an 1100 powered '79 Mini Clubman which I drove just the same way. The Clubman came to a horrible end one night in an incident involving a tractor with no lights on an unlit rural road. I drove it home with the roof and most of the left side peeled off but that was as far as it went. I still have a soft spot for classic Minis (and pretty much anything '60s-'70s BMC) and I'd gladly have another one. If money was no object I'd be inclined towards building up a sleeper. Full grandpa spec appearance and Cooper S level engine mods.
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Jun 21, 2019 12:34:12 GMT
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I came late to having a first car - lived in London so hard to justify) Eventually co-bought a 99 Felicia in around 2003 with my now wife. Retro now I think? - was bone stock at the time but would probably just do something subtle like this if I had it now. Sadly it got written off by botched a theft attempt - ruined bonnet, dash, loom, ignition. Shame—as it was a pretty decent, competent little car (1.6i) Definitely fonder of them now in retrospect than I was maybe at the time).  |
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Jun 21, 2019 13:05:46 GMT
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I’d do pretty much the same. Mine was a quite nice 1.3 GL mk2 Escort handed down from my Mum. It was signal orange, I had two new wings, front panel, full paint with a black vaginal roof. Chucked a 1.6 x flow in it with a warm cam, 4 branch, twin 40’s & a 1.3 GT box. Some fat tyres & Wellers, it was sweet. Wish I still had it. On the flip side, I obviously really wanted an RS2000, but couldn’t afford the insurance never mind the car. However, fast forward & I do have a very nice mk2 RS. I would not let either of my kids sell their first cars though. They are tucked up in my garage for now until they want them back out. I have mentioned them on here before in a KA thread, but the black one is my Sons, the white one my Daughters     |
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luckyseven
Posted a lot
Owning sneering dismissive pedantry since 1970
Posts: 3,839
Club RR Member Number: 45
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Jun 21, 2019 13:19:25 GMT
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Push it into the sea and leave it there. Worst car ever. And I don't even care that MkI Golfs are collectible now, mine was utter, utter  and I hated almost every minute of owning it |
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Jun 21, 2019 14:44:10 GMT
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First car:  What I'd do with it if I had it today, albeit in street-legal form:  |
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Jun 21, 2019 15:43:40 GMT
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First car I got for £75 when I was 16 prior to my 17th birthday to learn to drive in. It was a 1966 Ford Anglia 1200 Super, there was so much filler in the front if it had been in a crash I'd have died of asbestosis.
It had a reclining driver's seat, every time I went over a bump the seat reclined. That was an easy fix, a piece of wooden floorboard spread across the floor for it to rest on, sorted. It had half an exhaust, the back bit fell off on my many new driver excursions into the hills.
The engine it came with was "reconditioned", it was fubared, but the spare in the boot was blueprinted by my Old Man in his garage. It went like stink, I made a stink when I tried to stop it with the standard drums. The handbrake didn't work. It was shod with Goodyear crossplys, (free as the rep needed a big order for his bonus holiday in Majorca, my Old Man needed some tyres for his wagons.)
The MOT came via the phone........
If I had it now I wouldn't have the Cajones/stupidity to drive it. (I would probably burn it)
It taught me a lot and after 9 months full licence it was sold and I got a 1972 ex Gas Board Inspectors Bedford Beagle, think Mk1 Ha Viva Estate, now that I would keep, forever, if I had it now. That was a rocket, (eventually)
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Last Edit: Jun 21, 2019 15:45:25 GMT by accord83
74 Mk1 Escort 1360, 1971 Vauxhall Victor SL2000 Estate.
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Jun 21, 2019 18:04:53 GMT
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My first car was a 1971 Mini 850 with the old 'long wand' gear stick. During my ownership I used a broken CV joint to convince my mechanically naive parents it was terminally broken and to lend me the money to buy an accident damaged 1100 Mini Clubman with the later gearbox for 'essential repairs'. With a group of mates (who fortunately knew more about cars than I did) we performed an engine swap on my parents front garden, killing the grass but with the Clubman engine putting new life into the old Mini. A home made exhaust (fashioned from whatever we found at the scrapyard), the slightly less knackered but hopelessly mis matched front seat from the donor Clubman, twin carbs and a set of Weller 8 spokes were added to complete the look. This was it......  If I could buy it back what would I do different? NOTHING! I'd try to re-create it as exactly as I could, after re-shelling it with a nice new shell from Heritage, like this:  Just in case anyone still has EPB334J tucked away anywhere, please sell it back to me. I would literally pay silly money to own it again. |
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Currently driving a 1972 BMW 1602 as my daily. Don't ask about previous cars - there have been way too many and I stopped counting at 160!
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Jun 21, 2019 18:20:48 GMT
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Mine was a mk2 escort 4 door 1.3. I paid £55 for it & drove it hard. I sold it to a guy who took it up mendip raceway banger racing. If I could have it back I'd knock out the dents & drive it.
The one I miss the most is my 3rd car. Fiat 127 sport, black with orange detailing running deep dish fiat rims & lowered. If I could have it back I'd completely restore it & take it to all the shows.
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,189
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Jun 21, 2019 18:55:49 GMT
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My first car? Well that depends on what you call a first car. First car you owned, or a first car you drove on the road as a daily? Well, with my MGB, I do still wonder if I should have owned it. It started out life as a poo coloured Rubber bumper car. It doesn't matter where your stance is on retro, but Russet Brown certainly isn't high on people's agenda when you mention the words 'Classic, or 'Retro'. But, it was mine, and the car seemed to be willing:  With this car I had dreams. What I didn't have was a budget. Sure, RRers would require you don't need that, but I wanted a variation of a Russet brown car, but in maybe a more modern chocolate colour, and I wanted arches. Big arches! After trying for 10 years to do it on the cheap, as I was at Uni, on the dole, taking various jobs, and doing various favours (not like that!!!), this was the result:   OK. It wasn't impressive. But in hindsight, that car was always a very ambitious project for someone: 1) Owning the car as their first car with very little mechanical experience 2) Someone on a very constrained budget, from what I'd been bought up with etc. What would I have done I hear you ask? Honestly? If I still owned the car, it would have been a POS. That's because I didn't have perspective. Perspective of how much other cars cost to run to keep them 'right. Perspective of how other cars were different to maintain. You get the idea. Anyway, I'm waffling. What I'd have done in hindsight, thus not at all because I was a tight prick is the following: -Respray in BMW Mini Brown -Fitted in the Corbeau classic bucket seats I bought -Either bought a supercharger kit for the B Series, or thrown in a Rover V8 with a Holley and Tubular manifolds, along with a 5 speed 'box -Put in a sound system of sorts But it wasn't to be. The car for me had bled me dry for the 9 years I owned it. The Minilites, the lowering via decambered springs and harder springs & Spax dampers had all taken their toll on my wallet. The next owner however, saw faith, and this is how it looks now. Well, sort of  :   |
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Jun 21, 2019 19:14:08 GMT
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First car 1971 j plate mk1 escort
What would I do it with it now...nothing it’s gone
I should of kept it
Along with nearly all the 500 or so cars since!!!
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Fraud owners club member
1999 Jaguar s type
1993 ford escort
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